My Drosera terrarium
 

So, I got hold of some Droseras now instead of sticking to just Neps. I grow them in another Exoterra tank similar to that of Cephalotus and Pings'. But almost all the plants have reverted to green. Even the paradoxa petioles have all turned green except for the traps. I wonder if it is due to the type of lighting that I'm using. Please advise if there's anything wrong with my setup guys. TIA!

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2478/drotank.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3790/droseracoll.jpg
These are the common species, most of you would already have them in your collection. :smile:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

The setup looks ok but the light needs to be increased. Lack of pigmentation in the leaves occurs when the light is low. The adelae that you have there will thrive witht he lower light levels but many of the others prefer stronger light for optimal growth. You could simply raise the trays that the plants are in so that they are closer to the lights. Just be carefull no to cook them with the heat from the lamp.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Noted Adam! I'm on the lookout for both PL lights and T5 lights. Will look into the local hardware store this weekend. For now will have to put up with monotonous green :(

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Nice and neat setup. :)

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

I thought they need to be much closer?Where did'ya get the terrarium again????

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Hey,it looks really nice and well arranged.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Yes, but they will fry. Coz my perlite bits turned brown on my Ceph, so guess what? The Cephs are back out in the garden again. Instead I was thinking of adding an additional light source on the drosera tank. Two light bulbs will compensate for the light intensity by distance between plant and light source.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

If you don't mind a suggestion, you can place a small computer fan to blow across the space between the light and the terrarium. That remove quite a bit of heat. I've done that with my terrariums and it works. That way I can place a higher wattage bulb or place the lighting closer to the plants.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

remember if you do that... get a glass to cover on top of the tank... to avoid the wind from fan.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Thanks for the tips David and Edmund. I do have a small computer fan but I'm using it for my planted tank at the moment. I will get another one soon when I upgrade the tank to a bigger one, since this terrarium is designed for retaining humidity for fauna and I realise the dimensions are too small for the fan to blow without being sidetracked into the terrarium (small area does cause considerable moisture loss, my sundews lost their dewyness after only a couple of hours) :spinning:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

kit, you should try setting up a terrarium, it really makes a good difference as you can view your plants (or talk to them :unsure:) before you go to sleep *biggrin2*

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Is that a D. hamiltonii?:unsure:
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2478/drotank.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3790/droseracoll.jpg
These are the common species, most of you would already have them in your collection. :smile:[/QUOTE]

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

hi alvin,

why not plan a real terrarium for this tank ?... dump the peat and moss inside .and do some landscape..since you keep planted tank. you can easily get moss from there. ^^



but i know you might suffer on lighting and moisture system. Do not worry, i will try give you the idea...

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Hi, Guys, if put a PC fan inside, is that good to blow in/out the air ?
Is that for air circulation or colling purpose?

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Weeps, if you put a cooling fan in the terrarium it is best to place the fan such that it is blowing out so that the heat is being drawn out of the tank by the fan movement. Having the fan blowing inwards will dry the water trays and plants out faster. If you have a table fan nearby it is also fine. The only difference is that the cooling fan reduces heat buildup while the table fan increases the air circulation. Hope that helps.

cheers
Alvin

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Hi, Alvin,
Thanks for the input.
BTW, can I not to put fan?:smile:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Hi Weeps, sorry for the late reply!
Actually it is advisable to at least have a means of air circulation, because you will find that without a fan, the heat from the lighting will cause the water tray to dry out quicker than having a fan around (for my terrarium, even with fan, topping up of water tray still needs to be carried out daily).

Alvin

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Thanks Ed...must look into the moisture system especially. If I have that then my worries of leaving the house for the week in future will be over :spinning:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Dear Funkychips,

"PL lights" is ?:shy:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Hi Tan,

PL stands for "Phillips-Lighting". If one mentions PL-L, it stands for "Philips Linear-Long."
Here's a link to understanding the definition and function of PL lights better:
http://lightbulbmarket.blogspot.com/...pl-l-mean.html

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Here is how PLL tube, eballast look like...

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/p...e/IMG_1069.jpg

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Actually, PL refer to compact fluorescent plug in light bulbs. And there is few type, PL-C, PL-S, PL-L. I really forget what is difference between plc and pls already... :shy:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Thanks for sharing Casey!! :smile: These light really give out a lot of heat, will switch to T5 lighting soon...!!

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Agree with that. The best is T5HO that have higher wattage for the same length of tube.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

go for those branded t5HO, dont buy those aqualium China T5HO. The effect is very very big different!

I found that Phillip T5HO very good!

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Thanks for the tip ahbeng!! :1thumbup:*biggrin2*

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

it is not the brand that matters.. you need to understand the spectrum of the tube, exmaple, 6500k, 10,000k, 14,000k & 20,000k....

For plant use, i suggest to use 6500k combined with 20,000k for fast growing and best colouring result.

for T5HO, 3feet will give 39watts, 4feet will give 54watts. If you really need to use 54w, the ballast is more expensive, if you use 39watts, you can use the normal T8/T10 E-ballast which is within RM10

I use T5HO for a year, all my plantlet are growed under this lightings, some of you may wonder why my viking grows so fast in 1 year time, the answer is clear .... T5HO rocks !!

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

cbkhoon, thanks so much for the info!! But one part I don't understand, when you say combine 6500 K with 20 000 K, what type of lighting do you combine or is it all under T5HO category? Sorry for the noob questions, I'm not well versed in lighting mechanisms...:spinning:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

most T5ho lamp u can get in the market are for aquarium use. There are dieferent spectrum for diferent needs/requirements. Being at 6500k, the light wil look like day light and look a bit yellowish. 10,000k less yellowish, 14,000k not yellowish and has little blue tint. 20,000k wil be very white and look blueish. wat i mean i put a 6500k + another 20,000k, i mean 2 lamps runing same time.. remember to keep your plants 1 feet from lamp at least. you may need to add lamp reflector to improve efficiency of your t5ho lamp. there are nice T5HO reflector selling at >rm50 too.....:laugh:

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

In fact, I have 2 set of T5HO. One is bought from aquarium shop (China Brand), one is order from my company supplier (Phillip).

I put Dionaea under china t5HO about 4-5", the Dionaea is greeenish. After that, I put it under Phillip T5HO anout 7-8", the Dionaea red colour getting appear.

From this experince, I dont think so i will buy china T5HO again( Price amost same, just the china type got nice
casing)

p/s: both are 6700K

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

in that case ur china bulb is having less than 6700k.. maybe 4000k instead..

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

Guys, I know this thread is quite old but I would like to inquire if it is safe to use a Mercury bulb under 160w. Is the bulb/lamp has high ultraviolet light that can harm us when it is use in indoor plant setup? Reason is because I've tried this setup recently but I'm afraid of the outcome in the long run to our health. I'm planning to use the Philips new model twister light name (Ecotone high lumen spiral) under 45w and 65w. However, it comes to a pricey value. The 45w with a (160w output) has the price of 18 - 19USD and the 65w with a (200w output) will cost about 26USD. Although, they don't need any ballasts you will just need to find a fixture for it. Here's the link if you would like to see the Philips bulb information. Let me know if the bulbs are fine to use as well. Lastly, I'm still checking of the T5HO and PL_L light availability in our area, but to no avail yet.

http://www.philips.com.ph/c/energy-s...specifications

Cheers,
Arnel

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

hi rhodelta , consider the price is cheap for the brand itself. Philips's bulb have a better longer live compare to those cheap china brand.

you might need to aware this kind of the bulb will produce more heat then others. since you mentioned worry about the UV, why not replace LED lighting since they are free of UV.

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

@Edmund, thank you for the information. I believe I will also consider the Led lights if we have that available in my area. Thanks

Re: My Drosera terrarium
 

no problem , ebay has a lot